1 week ago
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Downing Street has said it was close for a freed British-Egyptian activistic to apologise pursuing the find of "abhorrent" societal media posts.
The historical tweets by Alaa Abd El-Fattah emerged aft helium returned to the UK connected Boxing Day pursuing respective years of imprisonment successful Egypt.
He has since apologised "unequivocally" for his "shocking and hurtful" past societal media posts, successful which helium appears to telephone for unit against "Zionists" - but said immoderate had been "completely twisted".
Politicians and authorities crossed the spectrum had campaigned for his release. On his instrumentality to the UK, Sir Keir said helium was "delighted" the activistic was "back successful the UK".
Speaking to journalists this morning, the premier minister's spokesperson reiterated that Mr Abd El-Fattah lawsuit was worked connected by successive governments earlier condemning his "abhorrent" tweets.
They added nevertheless that it does not "change the fact" that Mr Abd El-Fattah is simply a British citizen, and the apology was "right" and "unequivocal" - appearing to play down the likelihood of him having this presumption removed.
It is understood the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is present looking astatine the processes astir the activist's case.
Overnight, Mr Abd El-Fattah released a lengthy statement, successful which helium said: "I americium shaken that, conscionable arsenic I americium being reunited with my household for the archetypal clip successful 12 years, respective historical tweets of excavation person been republished and utilized to question and onslaught my integrity and values, escalating to calls for the revocation of my citizenship."
He added: "Looking astatine the tweets present - the ones that were not wholly twisted retired of their meaning - I bash recognize however shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise."
Mr Abd El-Fattah was a starring dependable successful Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising and went connected hunger strikes down bars.
He was astir precocious detained successful September 2019 and sentenced to 5 years successful situation successful December 2021, connected charges of spreading mendacious news.
UN investigators branded his imprisonment a breach of planetary law, and some Conservative and Labour governments lobbied for his release.
Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi pardoned the activistic earlier this twelvemonth and helium flew to the UK to reunite with his young son, who lives successful Brighton, past week.
He had been granted UK citizenship successful December 2021 nether Boris Johnson, reportedly done his UK-born mother.
'I instrumentality allegations of antisemitism precise seriously'
After the historic societal media posts came to light, Conservative person Kemi Badenoch, shadiness justness caput Robert Jenrick and Reform UK person Nigel Farage called for the location caput to look into whether the activistic tin beryllium stripped of his UK citizenship and deported.
In his statement, the activistic highlighted that helium is present a middle-aged father, but said the posts were "mostly expressions of a young man's choler and frustrations successful a clip of determination crises" and the "rise of constabulary brutality against Egyptian youth".
He continued: "I peculiarly regret immoderate that were written arsenic portion of online insult battles with the full disregard for however they work to different people. I should person known better."
Mr Abd El-Fattah said helium took allegations of antisemitism "very seriously" and that immoderate of the tweets had been "misunderstood, seemingly successful atrocious faith".
A tweet being shared to allege homophobia was really ridiculing homophobia, helium said, portion different had been "wrongly interpreted to suggest Holocaust denial - but successful information the speech shows that I was intelligibly mocking Holocaust denial".
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Mr Abd El-Fattah said helium had been looking guardant to celebrating his son's day with him for the archetypal clip since 2012, erstwhile helium was conscionable a twelvemonth old.
He missed those birthdays due to the fact that of his "consistent promotion of equality, justness and secular democracy", helium said. This included "publicly rejecting anti-Jewish code successful Egypt, often astatine hazard to myself, defence of LGBTQ rights, defence of Egyptian Christians, and campaigning against constabulary torture and brutality - each astatine large risk".
Mr Abd El-Fattah said it had been "painful" to spot immoderate radical who supported calls for his merchandise present feeling regret.
"Whatever they consciousness now, they did the close thing," helium continued. "Standing up for quality rights and a national unjustly imprisoned is thing honourable, and I volition ever beryllium grateful for that solidarity."
He finished by saying helium had "received immense empathy and solidarity from radical crossed the UK, capable to triumph maine my freedom, and I volition beryllium everlastingly grateful for this".
A Foreign Office spokesperson said it had been a "long-standing precedence nether successive governments" to enactment for Mr Abd El-Fattah's release, "and to spot him reunited with his household successful the UK".
However, the authorities condemns the "abhorrent" historical tweets, the spokesperson added.
It is understood Prime Minister Keir Starmer was not alert of the societal media posts erstwhile helium celebrated Mr Abd El-Fattah's returned to the UK.
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